Photograph of a model of the U.S.S. Akron leaving the Goodyear Airdock on August 8, 1931. The model was constructed by L. B. Hiebel, Assistant Engineer, City Planning Commission, Akron, Ohio. Construction of U.S.S. Akron began in November, 1929 at the newly completed Goodyear-Zeppelin Airdock in Akron. The 785-foot-long ship was christened by First Lady Lou Hoover, the wife of President Herbert Hoover, on Aug. 8, 1931, and made its first flight the next month. The ship, which had a crew of 60, was able to stay aloft for several days and fly thousands of miles before returning to base. On the evening of of April 3, 1933 the U.S.S. Akron departed Lakehurst on a mission to calibrate radio equipment along the northeastern coast. Shortly after midnight, the ship was hit by a series of strong updrafts and downdrafts off the New Jersey coast. While attempting to climb, the ship's tail struck the water. With its control surfaces destroyed, the ship crashed into the ocean. Only three people survived.
Akron Beacon Journal Photograph Archives
